Striving Hope
by Mystery Ninja
Summary: Zombie fanfic, gore, mild romance, and possible thrills.
1. Chapter 1

Alright, so before the story begins, I'm going to try and explain things so everyone isn't completely confused while reading this.

This all happened in a dream that I had and I haven't been able to get it out of me head. So what better thing to do than write it down? And then post it on so my story could never get lost? o:

All of the characters have to deal with my real life; so none of them will be familiar with you from a show/game/ect.  
I don't even know a majority of these people myself. xD;

**Characters:**

Emily/Emilia/Mimi (Main Character/POVs), Diane (Emily's mother), Ann (Emily's older sister), Dmitri (Emily's friend/Whyatt's Cousin), Stephanie (Emily's Bestfriend), Yuki (Emily's Bestfriend), Charles/Charlie (Emily's Boyfriend).

**Minor Characters/Unknown Faces**

Somebody's Aunt (Unknown Name), An elderly couple, Group Leader (Temporary)/Gunman (Alexander), Man in backroom, Elevator Survivors, Charlie's group of survivors and friends, Two Military Groups, Mystery man/Zombie Creator(?), Group of "Rednecks", Abby (Little Girl)

**Zombie Types**

The Runners, Walkers, Hunters, Snow Walkers, Special Infected, Zombie Dogs, Zombie Birds, Wall Crawlers/Jumpers, Boomer, Tank, Smoker, "The Survivors", Axe Zombies, Door Openers/Lock Pickers, Light Seekers, Screeches.

_"When there's no more room left in Heaven or Hell; the dead will walk the Earth."_


	2. Chapter 2

**Apocalypse**

**(Emily's POV/First Person)**

_"Today in breaking news, Scientists are scrambling-"_

My finger seemed to have "accidently" slipped on the off button to the remote before my body fell backwards against the bed behind me. Heaving a sigh I would lean back into my hands, lacing my digits into a few strands of my chocolate colored strands. Cranking my head back I would stare up at the cream white colored ceiling only to then hear soft moans and groans which automatically made my stomach churn. "Oh, come on..." I mumbled and reached my hand over to grasp my digits about my mp3 player, plugging each earpiece into my ears, letting the heavy metal blast into my drums. Extending my hand once more I flicked the switch to the side lamp; my room going completely dark within that instant. Little did I know that the moans would start to disappear off into the distance because of this move I had just done and I rolled over on my side, curling up and drifting off to sleep only for one word to escape past my lips as I did so, "Mn, Charlie..."

The heavy metal had ceased from my ears and when my cerulean colored orbs would flutter open from sleep I would then realize just how dead quiet it was. It was eerie; normally I would hear the annoying sounds of my brother usual snorting fit or my mother coughing up a lunge from her older days of chain-smoking. Small creeks were made from my bed as I scooted to the edge and let my bare feet press down into the royal blue carpet below, reaching for my black colored shoes and slipping them on. I was already in a pair of black shorts and a deep colored purple sleeveless top; that was better than anything less than that. My door never closes all the way due to the henges being screwed up nor did I ever have a lock for my door so it was parted open already and my hand's digits pressed into the parting, letting the loud creaks be heard throughout the house while I opened the door all the way. Peeking across the hall from me I saw my brother's door still closed, making me softly blink and then advert my attention down the hall; everything was completely empty. Nobody was here, that's all that's the only reason it was so quiet. But it would be a first time for that considering my brother never left the house anymore and it was Sunday which meant that my mom was always home unless she was getting food. But it was only 9am, she should be awake and sitting at the computer, but there was nothing.

Slowly I let my eyes move down to the carpet floor below, noticing a blood trail starting from the beginning of my door and my brothers', the trail led down the hall and off to the right toward the front door of the house and into the living room. A shuttered breath escaped past my lips as I stepped out into the hall, a few strands of brown falling down off of my shoulders only to trickle against my chest lightly. My steps were slow and cautious; maybe if luck was in my favor for once my brother had just hurt himself as usual and he was fine. Probably laying on the couch and mumbling curse words to himself, but it was just too damn quiet for that. Now arriving to the end of the hall my chest would heave, first looking to the left and into the kitchen where nobody could be seen, the backdoor still locked and closed securely. Now when looking to the right I noticed the front door wide open and the blood trail still extending outside into the pavement.

"Oh God..."

I whispered, rounding the couch and moving to the middle of the living room and now moving out the front door. _Come on, Emily... curiosity killed the cat, let's not look any further... Ugh, I know I've seen these horror movies too many times where the stupid girls go looking for somebody and then end up dying themselves... _Biting down onto my lower lip I pressed my bare palm against the pearl white front door and peered outside, around the left corner to where the blood trail ended behind my mom's car. Wait... my mom's car? So she was home? But why was it so quiet and empty inside? I ran over toward the car and stared down at my blood soaked brother who looked like he had been eaten by a pack of wolves! My hand moved up to my parted lips, covering my mouth to hold back any screams that pay have escaped and I dropped down to the ground, landing on my bottom. My body was visibly shaking as I sat there and stared at my dead brother, I couldn't explain what could have happened to him.

Truth be told, I never liked my brother and always wished for his death. That sounds so horrible to say to another person but him and I never did get along. But nevertheless he was the man of the house, he was the one there to protect us from nasty intruders and he was dead! My head started to swim but I forced myself to stand, my stomach was in knots and I could have sworn I was about to throw up from the stench of his blood. "I-I have to find mom..." I whispered to myself in reassurance and peeked into the car, but my mom wasn't there and so I went back inside, my heart pounding heavily against my chest. I left the front door open, just in case my mother was outside somewhere and wanted back in or was on the run from the said intruder.

Now arriving at my mom's bedroom which was the last door on the left I tried to turn the knob of the door. I sighed, realizing that it was locked. My mom's door was the only bedroom door that locked, _lucky bitch._ That meant that she was alive! I gently knocked on the door, "Mom... mom it's me, please let me in." I spoke softly, but I didn't hear anything inside, just pure silence. I bit into my lip; the only way the door could lock is if she was inside so she had to be there! "Mom!" I spoke a bit louder and the chain on the door started to move in a slow mannerism, making a chill crawl up my spine. The door was thrown open and my mom stared at me with black circles under her eyes, "What?" This took me back a bit from her reaction, her son was dead but she seemed so heartless for some reason. "Mom, it isn't safe here, Joe's dead..." My mom nodded her head, "We're all going to die, might as well live life to the fullest now." She closed the door in my face and I couldn't stop blinking. _Bitch... _Running to the living room again I grabbed the phone and dialed 911 and I got a busy signal.

"That... can't be good."

I dialed 911 again and got a busy signal and I suddenly started to curse up a storm until I heard creaking behind me from the front door. Slowly I would turn my head and stare at my blood covered brother who was staring at me blankly, which made me grow taken back. "Joe..?" I whispered and he just continued to slowly walk over towards me and suddenly he let out a screech before jumping at me. His mouth was a color of red mixed in with yellow which just wasn't natural, I let out a yelp and ducked down, dodging his movements. Was he getting abusive on me at random again? A fit of anger? No, this was different. My brother regained himself and turned back around to face me, dragging his broken foot along the floor's surface, a blood trail following behind him. A let out a soft panting breath as I stepped back, only for a hand to press against my shoulder.

"MOVE!"

The man shoved me to the side and I fell to the ground with a soft grunt, fingers digging into the carpet below. A gunshot was heard and a bullet went straight through my brother's head and he hit fast to the ground. My eyes never left from his figure, but then the man grabbed the back of my shirt collar and yanked me back up, making me let out a soft sound as I was spun around to face him. He almost looked like my father it was rather creepy. The only difference was his hair color was brown rather than black and he had a smaller mustache like it had been recently trimmed. "Say something." He commanded and I stared up at him with parted lips; I wasn't sure WHAT to say! "Say something!" He shouted, his voice still firm almost like none of this was really a big deal. "...Something." I whispered and he frowned at me, "Whatever, good enough I guess." Releasing his grasp from me he would close the door behind him, locking and bolting it shut.

"Is there anybody else alive?"

Came his question and I slowly nodded my head, "My mother... she locked herself into her bedroom." "Smart woman." He complied and moved to her room, almost like he had already known where it was located and knocked upon the hard surface, "C'mon ma'am, we need to move out." Her door opened and she nodded her head, already dressed and ready. He handed her a gun and they both moved to my sides, "Don't I get one?" I inquired and the man simply laughed, "You're much too young, let the GROWN-UPS handle this." He ruffled my hair about and I lowered my eyes and started to grumble from under his touch only to finally start whacking his hands away with a small arm flail. "Alright, let's go! Ma'am give me your keys, we need to drive." My mom did as told and gave him her car-keys and we exited through the door after unlocking it.

It still seemed so quiet and empty; after watching all of those zombie movies and playing some games I still couldn't believe that that is what the problem was. Zombies, really? Were Scientists _that_ stupid to actually go through with their ideas of bringing the dead back to life? Surely people would be better off with the _thought_ of it; but actually going through with it? This made me glare at absolutely nothing as I climbed into the backseat of the car, bringing my knees up against my chest and leaning back in the seat. My mother got in the front passenger seat while the man started the car. Automatically locking the doors was in good timing because that's when something smacked up against my window and I jolted back, my heart nearly pounding out of my chest. The noise had lured a possible zombie right to us and its hands were sliding along the glass, smearing blood against it. "J-Just go!" I called and the man drove off, the zombie left behind and walking after the car as we then took off down the street in a hurry.

"Stay down."

I was told, but I didn't listen; I never was good with being given orders. I stared through my window and my eyes would widen, dead bodies everywhere; some even getting back up to walk again. Finally I paid attention to orders and slid back down in my seat, burying my face into my knees. It was so different in video games and in movies; because it wasn't _**real**_. But seeing the real thing up close like this, it tugged at a few emotional cords. As the car ride continued I felt a little nauseated, I had a small case of motion sickness and so I dropped down onto my side and curled up in the backseat, drifting off to sleep for a while until we would arrive to our destination.

"We're here."

This made my eyes reopen as I sat up and rubbed at my eyes, finally focusing on a building . "Where are we?" I whispered still a bit sleepy-eyed and he looked back toward me, finally handing me a gun, "You'll need this, we're going in for survivors. The more people we have the more likely we'll survive in this world." I stared at him for a minute and my mother and himself climbed out of the car and I finally followed, cocking the shotgun as I glanced around. We entered through the main front doors, and we noticed a small group of people off to the side, huddled into a corner with guns. Were they waiting for us? "This is my unit, they've been waiting for me to return with more people to help." A man scoffed and stood up, "So you brought a woman and a child?" I glared, "I am NOT a child!" And a hand was slapped over my mouth by the very first man and I stared up at him, he seemed annoyed from all my outbursts.

"We move. The elevator is stuck downstairs, the doors won't open and the elevator won't touch ground all the way." The others nodded and I just rolled my eyes, following after them. _They're probably safer IN the elevator... _I thought to myself as we made our way toward the stairwell, running down the steps would turning each sharp corner, guns held out and ready to fire should we encounter anything along the way. _If the zombies are attracted to sound... shouldn't we get silent pistols? _I shrugged this thought off as we made it to the basement, it was completely pitch black; the only thing emitting light was from the furnace fire just a few feet away from the elevator.

The men were trying to pull the doors open while the people inside did the same from the inside. I stood far back, watching lazily while twirling the gun around in my fingers. I started to question my own sanity at this point considering I seemed so calm and bored; shouldn't I still be scared? I figured that maybe at the end of this hysteria I'll be thrown into a straight jacket later. I chuckled in amusement which again made me look completely insane and it was then that the doors were opened in the elevator. The people were being helped out and suddenly loud screeches could be heard from either within or behind the elevator itself? The people quickly got out and everyone made a run for it, but for some reason I couldn't move, I stared as zombies crawled out from around the sides of the doors.

"EMILY, MOVE!"

Suddenly I snapped out of it; _T'ch... guess my mom told that bastard my name. _I darted off after the others as we attempted to escape the dark basement and headed back to the stairway, protecting the survivors. I decided to point the gun behind me and start firing at the zombies that were **running** after us. Running, holycrap they've upgraded. I started to bolt for the stairs and ran up each step along with the others. Everyone made their way into the car and we took off the zombies jumping up onto the car and banging on the glass attempting to get inside. A little girl was sitting beside me screaming and crying while the driver cursed, "Shut that kid up!" I frowned because nobody would so I lifted the girl into my arms and held her close, stroking her hair in a soothing manner, "It's going to be okay. You're alright now." I reassured, offering her a soft smile which made her smile back at me, her tears drying up almost automatically.

The car stopped moving and I stared at the driver seat, "...We're out of gas, aren't we?" I spoke in a low tone of voice and the man nodded reluctantly. This made the girl in my arms whimper and bury her face into my chest and so I ran my fingers through her hair slowly. "Shh... I'll protect you." She whined and simply nodded while moving her face up into my neck instead. I wasn't sure what it was, I already had a soft spot for children...who weren't spoiled rotten. Everyone opened their doors and stepped out, holding out their guns, ready to fire at any zombies that would come their way. Holding the girl in my arms as I stepped out of the car I stared down at her features, curly blonde strands of hair that danced down along her shoulders and she wore a fluffy pink and white dress with white stockings and black dress shoes; she must have went to work with her mother or father and looked fancy for them. This made me smile but only a little, considering the saddening idea that her parents must be dead if I had to be the one taking care of her. Not that I really minded.

The only thing that could be heard were our footsteps as we made our way down the semi-empty highway. I say semi because cars were driven off the road, their doors open with blood spattered every which way. Luckily I had the child's face buried into my neck so she didn't have to see such a scene. "What's your name?" I whispered to her and she peeked up to stare at my eyes before responding, "Abby." I smiled at such a name and then played with her curls for a bit, "such a pretty name." "What's yours?" This made me blink before responding, "Emily..." I never did like my name, I'm not quite sure why; no matter what nickname I was given for my original name I couldn't help but to twinge. Only when Charlie spoke of my name did I feel warm inside. A blush was clear over my cheeks and Abby was poking at it while giggling; ah, I was caught thinking of my lover boy again. I chuckled and nipped at her finger playfully and she squealed, but we were interrupted by the first gunman who spun around to face us, "Would you two shut up? Damn." I frowned and held the girl close to me again before going silent. It wouldn't hurt to keep the girl happy, but whatever old man. I was probably lucky that I didn't say that out loud...

"What's your name by the way?" I decided to quietly whisper toward the first gunman that I had met back at my house and he frowned down at me. I shrugged it off and poked at his side anyway, which made him sigh in irritation. "Alexander, alright?" This made me grin, "So Alex it is." He shrugged and I just chuckled but our moment was cut short as we heard moving in the distance. We all stopped walking and placed our backs against each others, staring outward to see where the noise was coming from. Guns were lifted while our eyes darted around. The sound of blood gurgling and bones cracking made it to my eardrums and I quickly grew sick to my stomach, holding Abby in one arm while extending my other arm to point the gun forward. That's when about five zombies appeared on my side, but when my gaze would shift off to the right or left there would be more coming from every which way. "Shit..." I quietly cursed under my breath and everyone else seemed to have been thinking the same thing.

Suddenly Alexander started to open fire and the zombies screeched and started running towards us. "Oh shit!" A man called and everyone started to fire, including myself. Abby was crying out into my chest while covering her ears with her tiny little hands. I frowned, knowing it must have been hard for her, but it couldn't be helped! It was kill or be killed. Abby seemed to have been like one of those stereotypical girls who ran away alone during a dangerous situation to get away because suddenly she squirmed out of my grasp and ran away. "FUCK!" I screamed and ran away from the circle of shooters; which probably wasn't wise because nobody could cover my side of zombies and they bit into one of the gunmen who let out a scream. I ran after Abby, damn how could a little girl run so fast?

A hand extended and grabbed my shoulder which made me twist around and point my gun to Alex's face but he was staring at me with a frown. "We gotta go!" "But Abby!" I turned around and saw that beautiful little girl now being ripped to shreds by the zombies and I let out a scream, running over and shooting the zombies to death (haha, pun.) hitting them each in the head with a bullet. "Abby!" I cried and ran over to her, but she jumped back up and ran at me, screeching making me fall back to the hard concrete and hold her off of me as she attempted to bite at my face or neck. "Nn..." I squinted my eye shut , I didn't want to kill her just throw her off of me. Alex frowned and shot Abby in the head who went limp in my grip. I laid her down on the ground and suddenly hot tears spilled from my eyes, only to be grabbed by the wrist and dragged away almost quite literally. My shoes were scrapping against the ground as he pulled me along back towards my mother and just a few other survivors. My eyes never left from Abby's blood covered body.

All together we once had fifteen people and now we were narrowed down to six people (including myself). We had arrived back at my house and everyone was settled down into the living room, except for my mom who went into her bedroom, Alex was with her and another man took my brother's room. An elderly couple, another woman, my sister and myself stayed in the living room; my sister had been waiting for us when we arrived. Normally I would have hugged her tightly, glad that she was alive but I was still upset over Abby. I wasn't sure why, maybe it was the cruelty of it all. A few dead bodies laid on the floor around us, they belonged to a few zombies that had gained entry inside and that were shot down. My gun was taken from me by Alex, probably due to my emotional state; I couldn't really blame him.

My sister was sitting behind me, brushing her fingers through my hair in a soothing manner that brought tingles down my spine; it was very comforting and relaxing. Now staring ahead at the woman who was standing I would tip my head to the side she seemed to be twitching and jerking in place. "A-are you alright...?" That's when my sister's eyes widened, "She's been bit..." She whispered into my ear and I looked to where she pointed to the bite mark in her arm. My eyes widened now, "M-mom, Alex this woman is changing!" That's when the flick of a few switches were done and the bedroom lights were turned out. "MOM!" I screamed and she finally shouted back, "Just be quiet and turn the lights out and go to your rooms!" I frowned, it's not like we could, she was blocking the hallway for one. Two, what good would that do if she's already IN OUR HOUSE? Suddenly the woman let out a screech and turned to face us and we all gasped and inched backward. She was coming straight for me, but my sister moved in front of my in a protective older sister movement. But I couldn't let my sister be hurt! "Ann!" I shouted and watched her struggle to keep the woman from biting her, the others were just sitting there. How useless. I stood up and walked off to the side, "Hey bitch! Come and get me, I'm right here!" I was about to run so that she would give chase, but suddenly she lunged at me in a run and bite her teeth into my side. I let out a scream and threw my head back, feeling not only blood leave from my side but a few of my insides leaking out ; which insides I did NOT want to know!

"Bitch.." I cursed and grabbed her by the hair, yanking her head back and dragged her towards the backdoor, which I unlocked and threw her outside where she fell to the ground in a weak lump. I closed the door and locked it, but she started to grab the knob and try to yank the door open from out of my grasp. I turned to face the others, "Go to your rooms!" My sister automatically ran into a bedroom but the elderly couple just sat there which made me so angry. "GO!" They frowned at my rudeness and went into a backroom. Finally the door stopped moving and when I looked out the window part of the door she was gone. I sighed and went into my bedroom, which only had me inside. That made sense though; my door was the only one that didn't lock or have anything to block out a zombie. I frowned and collapsed into my bed, lifting up my shirt slightly to stare down at my wound.

I could already see myself changing into a nasty zombie and walking aimlessly around my room and when someone came to check on me I would almost quite literally; eat them. But then I frowned, there were witnesses that I was bitten, they wouldn't open my door unless it was to kill me. That's when I thought of my lover; Charlie. Was he still alive? Would I possibly be joining him soon? If he was still alive how would he find out about what happened to me? I let out a shuttered breath and stared up at my dark ceiling and that's when I heard the backdoor creak open and my eyes automatically flew open. "The hell..? Did that bitch just ...unlock the door?" I whispered in a shaky breath and stared at my bedroom door. I heard noises of blood gurgling and I bit down into my lower lip; why was Alex and my mom not going to kill any zombies that would come after us? Did they already give up? Almost everyone seemed to have given up at that point and just waited to be eaten. But if that was the case why not just shoot yourself and get it over with? I ran a hand through my own hair and laid my head back. Apparently to Alex and my mom the zombies wouldn't come after us if the lights were out and if we were all quiet, but I found that reasoning simply stupid.

My bedroom door started to open with that eerie creak and I frowned. _Figures... _That's what I get for having a crappy door like the one I have. I heard soft growls and suddenly a sharp pain in my side again and let out a scream as she bit me once more in the EXACT same spot. I lifted my legs and wrapped them about her neck and then twisted my body, breaking her neck, causing direct hit up to her brain. She dropped to the ground; apparently 'dead' this time. I stared down at the blood oozing out from the wound, and there was a pink and reddish ring around the area like an infection. Guess that would make sense after all; it is literally called being 'infected' when you're a zombie. Reaching over I grabbed onto one of my old white shirts, tearing it using my teeth before tying it about the wound tightly, the blood still seeping through the material. "Ah, whatever..." I closed my eyes, knowing fully well that when I woke up I would no longer be a human anymore; might as well sleep through it, right?


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2**

**(Emily's POV, First Person)**

_Ring, ring..._

_Ring..._

"Shut up..."

_RING, RING._

"Wait..."

My eyes suddenly flew open, I wasn't a zombie! And my cell phone was going off? I blinked and gazed down at the name that had appeared. "Stephanie..." Flipping the phone open I would press the receiver to my ear, "Steph? Are you okay?" I heard nothing but a shuttered breath from the other end and then finally her voice, "E-Emily.. I'm so scared. I'm hiding in my closet... everyone's dead, I... but they're walking..." My eyes widened and I sat up in bed, "Shh... first off Steph, is your door locked?" "Yes..." "Okay, good. For now just work on staying quiet. I know for a fact that they _are _attracted to sound. Just stay there, I'll figure something out and come and get you, okay?" I heard her whimper, I could tell that she was crying and my own eyes started to shake with tears. "O-okay... please hurry." "I will. I love you." I spoke and I could tell it brought a smile to her face, "Love you too, bestie." _Click_. "Fuck..." I muttered in a stressful manner and ran a hand through my own hair. "Everyone, come on we're leaving!" This made me jolt out of bed and put my shoes back on, grabbing a grayish scarf with a few colored designs and strings hanging from it. I wasn't looking for stylish, just something to keep me warm. I put it over my purple shirt and used some deodorant; God knows when we'll be able to bathe ever again.

I stared down at my wound, there was a hole in my shirt due to the biting and the blood soaked bandage was obvious so I quickly re-bandaged it and used a black material this time so the blood wasn't shown nor the mark. I stepped out of my bedroom and made it down the hall where everyone was waiting, all eyes on me. I offered them a faint smile, "I'm ready." Alex tossed a gun my way and I caught it and we all headed out the door and quickly across the street where a car was rested. Everyone piled in and Alex hot-wired the car, starting it up and then we took off down the streets. It's a good thing we were smart and always choose to travel during the day time. At night there were more zombies about; I'm not sure how or why it worked out that way, it just did sometimes. Yeah... keyword is sometimes.

"Where are we going?" I inquired and Alex didn't answer, everyone was quiet ; like hope that been stripped from their very being. What a pathetic bunch. Someone had to be optimistic and I guess it just had to be me! "Come on guys, cheer up! We're going out to kick some zombie butt! Then we're going to-" "Just shut up." I stopped in mid-sentence, blinking over toward Alex who was glaring at the road ahead. "We're all going to die, Emily. You're a fool for thinking otherwise." I frowned deeply, sinking back into my seat, "Well I guess it makes sense now why you left us all for dead out there in the living room last night. Pull over." He turned around to stare at me like I was crazy at first, but my face held no regret to my own words. "Pull over." He jerked the car to the side of the road and I threw my door open, "I'd rather be on my own then travel with somebody who's already given up. Because you can not and will not protect us that way. You're no leader." I may have sounded cold, but it was the damned truth! It was then that my mom and sister followed out of the car and he stared at us in disbelief. "Fine! You three die out here then!" He and the other man shut our doors and drove off down the road.

"Emily... what are we going to do?" Ann asked me and I gave a smirk, "I stole the guns in the backseat before getting out. We at least deserve to protect ourselves! He never gave guns to the survivors... idiot." I handed two guns toward them which they took and I turned to look ahead. "We have to hit the nearest gun store. We need ammo and more guns and another weapons. Just one gun won't do us any good." They nodded, it seemed as though I was the leader now. Even if I was infected, the least I could do was get my friends and family out of harms way. "Afterward... We're going to get Stephanie. Any objections?" They shook their head and I gave off as smile, "Alright, let's move out."

Thankfully we didn't have to waste much ammo as we arrived to the nearest gun-store and locked the door behind us. "There's clothes here too, find something comfortable that you can easily move around in for combat." We all searched around and I found myself staying in my own outfit. Shorts and a sleeveless shirt was fine to move around in, so instead I found myself looking at the guns, picking out different kinds along with ammo. But we also needed meelee weapons, because bullets would not last forever. "I found a carry-on bag, Emily." Ann called and I walked over with a smile still intact to my face, "Good job! Would you be able to carry it or should I?" She handed the bag to me and I nodded, strapping it over my shoulder and chest, parting open the bag and stocking the weapons and ammo inside. "This is perfect."

"Hey look, a radio."

My mother spoke and I turned on my heels to walk over, kneeling down to gaze at it. "Looks like one of those radios a truck driver would use to gain contact. Good job you guys!" I grinned which made them smile and I put the radio into my bag; it would be needed to find a safe house somewhere. "It's still daylight, we're good..." Shifting I saw a few cases of watches and picked one out; strapping it onto my arm and setting the time according to the one on the wall which still seemed to be working. For now. "Alright, let's go. We have to cross the highway and then head into town... there may be more zombies there..." My sentence trailed off and suddenly the door flew open, making me turn around and gasp. I thought I had locked that! Someone must have picklocked it- "Then you ladies might need some more help." I stared at the male and tilted my head to the side, stepping closer toward him to get a better look at him. "D-Dmitri?" He grinned and gave a nod of the head, "Yep!" My arms flew around his neck as I gave him a hug and he laughed and hugged me back. "It's been a while, huh?" I nodded and stepped back while my sister and mother stepped forward in confusion. "Ah... this is Dmitri...he's my friend." I didn't know how else to explain. Ah, yes... he's my dead best friend's cousin_. I hope you're resting in peace Whyatt and not one of these creatures roaming around without a soul... _I was brought out of my thoughts from Dmitri shaking my shoulder and I let my eyes fly open, "Ah yes... we were just getting weapons and such, you should get some and you can help us get Stephanie." He nodded and quickly gathered some supplies, tossing them into the bag before we made it out the door.

The trip across the highway and into town wasn't as difficult as I thought; probably because we had an extra hand which was Dmitri. My mother and sister never shot a gun before, so having Dmitri was a great help; especially when he taught them how to kill a few walking zombies. They made for great target practice. Now arriving into Stephanie's neighborhood we didn't take long to arrive at her house considering it was the second to third house on the first street. The garage was open as was the backdoor and I frowned, "Stephanie's mom is... really stupid for leaving the garage open." I mumbled and Dimitri laughed faintly before the four of us made our way inside past the screen door and then hard wood door. I stared down the stairs and chewed on my lip before inching through the kitchen; which always had a squeaking loud floor. I winced inwardly and Dimitri automatically face-palmed, "could you be ANY louder?" He hissed and he snapped back softly, "it's not ME, it's how their floors are..." That's when I quickly made it across the living room and toward Stephanie's door. My sister came with me while Dmitri stayed with my mother near the entrance of the backdoor for a look out from behind.

I gently tapped against the door, "Stephanie!" I quietly hissed and held my ear gently to the door. "Stephanie!" I called again and heard creaking against the floor and I let my eyes shoot around and her bedroom door opened as she threw her arms around me, making me almost fall back. "Okay, okay careful... we gotta get outta here." Reaching into my bag I quickly pulled out a gun and handed it to her, "I-I've never shot one..." Sighing I would rub my temples, "Pretend it's a paintball gun, you'll do fine. Just aim for the head." She slowly nodded and we made our way back through the living room, into the kitchen and then out the backdoor with Dmitri and my mother. "I think they might have either been in the back bedrooms or downstairs, we're safe for now..." I muttered and then stared at the many cars in their driveway and garage. There always was that many cars there for they had a big family; hence the big house. "Which car do you think is the fastest, Steph?" I grinned and Stephanie pointed one out and we made our way towards it, all climbing inside. I let Dmitri hot-wire it but I was the one to hop into the drivers seat. Oh dear God, save them, I am driving. It definitely was the Apocalypse for sure.

The car took off, almost quite literally as we made our way back into town, making me sigh and brush a few strands of hair out of my face. "We need a destination for a safe house for us..." My sentence trailed off as he looked at all the buildings we passed, we obviously couldn't trust them considering the sizes zombies could easily be hidden inside. "Let's get out of this town first and head for the nearest one, Mimi." I nodded my head and then Stephanie blinked, "Mimi?" I chuckled and so did Dmitri. "A nickname, obviously.~" He teased which made Stephanie blush. I shook my head, Stephanie was always falling for guys so damn easily. But that's why I loved her, she was so completely silly.

_**You are now leaving Wentzville.**_

It was about time we reached that sign. "Where are we going..?" I sighed and shook my head, "I don't know. We have a few choices... Saint Charles, Saint Peters... Chesterfield." That's when Stephanie perked up, "Saint Charles." I nodded and looked to the others who simply nodded in agreement. "No arguements then, alright." I smiled and we continued on our way toward the next city. "Since we're driving and safe, might as well use the radio and see if anyone responds." Dmitri offers and I nod my head in response as he pulled out the radio, setting it all up to make sure it was up and running. "There it's working, say something Mimi." Dmitri directed and I held onto the receiver, letting out a small sigh before pressing the button. "Hello, we are survivors from Missouri. Is there anybody out there? Any survivors?" I release the button and nothing comes into play. I frown and press the button again, repeating my last statements. Suddenly there's static and a woman's voice appears, "oh yes, we're survivors... we need your help, please come for us!" My eyebrows perk up and I press down on the button once more, "Alright ma'am, where are you located?" There was silence before the static and voice returned, "We're in Lake Saint Louis... please come!" I grunt in annoyance and spin the wheel, turning the car around to head back into Wentzville considering my house was directly across from that area. "We'll be there as soon as we can." "Oh please, hurry!" I have the receiver back to Dmitri who was frowning.

"How odd... I didn't see any survivors in that area." He retorted and I simply shrugged my shoulders, "I guess that's why they're called survivors, they find locations that aren't easily found." This caused a few giggles from the backseat and I grinned.

The timing was very bad though considering it had fallen to night time now, pressing on about 7pm. The car came to a stop and we all climbed out of the vehicle, quietly closing the doors behind us. Using the radio again I pressed the button, "Ma'am, ma'am are you there? We're in Lake St. Louis, where are you?" There was silence and I cursed under my breath, "Ma'am... ma'am where are you?" I called into the receiver and suddenly a blunt object was smashed against the back of my head, making me fall unconscious to the ground. I'm not sure what happened to everyone else at that point, I just hoped that they were alright.

When my eyes opened everything still seemed dark and a man was staring down at me with a goofy expression over his face. They looked like a group of "country rednecks" if there were ever such things. The man laughed, "Look ma, she's awake." Tilting my head back I would stare at the woman who faked a scared voice, "Oh please, please help us!" Everyone started to laugh and I frowned deeply, "so... it was a trap..." Shifting my gaze around I noticed my friends and family off to the side, they were conscious but all tied up staring right at me. Our weapons seemed to have been taken which was just our luck.

"We're here to make babies and reproduce the human race!" He laughed down at me and I literally felt my left eye twitch not only in disgust but annoyance. "Yeah, you wish..." I started to move my legs but I couldn't! My eyes widened as I finally realized that I had been quite literally tied down with him hovering over me. He started to undo my shorts and I felt myself squirming. "Stop it... STOP!" Apparently this had angered Dmitri for he must have escaped the binds he was in and punched the guy right off. "Why you! How dare you!" The woman shouted and the others were now untied, all rushing over to undo my own binds. The woman grabbed one of our guns and started to fire, but Dmitri grabbed onto the gun and twisted her hand all the way around; breaking her wrist. She screamed and he yanked the gun right from her, pointing it in her direction. "Move and I'll shoot."

I pushed myself up and grabbed onto our bag of weapons, strapping it back onto my side. "Why...? Why did you fake that shout out? You guys are survivors aren't you? Why don't you just come with us and try to live rather than do this? What's the point of reproducing... it's obvious we're in the EARLY stage of an apacolypse. Bringing a baby into this kind of world is just murder toward the child..." The woman laughed at my words and ran straight at me, but Dmitri kept his word and opened fire, killing the woman. "Come on, let's just get out of here." Stephanie muttered and helped me up before we all headed out toward the car. We made sure that it was safe before getting in.

Although it was still night we had to keep going in order to find a safe spot to rest at. What's no sleep for just one night? Everyone fell asleep in the car except for myself as we made our way back toward our original destination, Saint Charles. I picked up the radio and held down the lever, releasing a sigh before speaking. "Hello.. we're survivors from Missouri looking for any other survivors. Anybody out there?" Silence. I threw the receiver down and placed it back on the wheel, closing my eyes before reopening them again to watch the road. Everything just seemed so useless at this point; where could we go? Surely the infection was spreading world wide; that's normally how these things happened anyway.

Everything seemed to be quite literally going to Hell. . .


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3**

**(Charlie's POV, Third Person)**

The sound of gunfire was the only thing that rang throughout the city; minus a few moans and screeches every now and again. Sometimes that was an annoying factor though, but thankfully there were more survivors there than probably any other place. In Oregon that had gathered about thirty survivors and made a safe house; yes made. It was originally a Military base when they were stationed there but the men had died at war against the on-growing army of undead. Metal doors that locked with a security code was perfect for them, and very hard for zombies to enter through. There were few woman alive in this city, about three out of thirty; the men went out fighting while the women stayed behind in safety.

Sitting down in a small circle Charles found himself staring directly ahead at the small fire they had created. Due to there no longer being any electricity it had grown very cold inside of their base. There was a sound of static and his head would lift, staring ahead at their own radio transmission that they owned thanks to the Military leaving it behind.

_**"Hello.. we're survivors from Missouri looking for any other survivors. Anybody out there?" **_

That angelic voice, it was so familiar to him why did it slip his mind as to who's it belonged to. Leaning forward his hand would grasp for the radio but it was stopped by another and the man stared down at him. This was their leader, sadly he had to comply with orders otherwise there would be dire consequences. "It's impossible for there to be survivors in Missouri, Charles. That broadcast must be old." He retorted and this made him grit his teeth lightly, "But how do you know that..?" The man smirked faintly and glanced downward, a few strands drifting into his face, "Because I was the leader of my own group there." That's right; the man in charge of Charles' group was none other than Alexander.

"She can't be dead... I refuse it."

Charlie seemed to have shot back, his hands gripped into fists at his own sides. Alexander shook his head and let his gaze wander off to the side, "I guess there's only one way to find out... when you see her dead body wandering for you and then biting into your flesh.~" At this point Charlie was about to punch the crap out of him but it wouldn't be wise; for some reason the people there preferred this man as their leader. May it be out of fear or not, it's just how it stood for now.

When Alexander stood and walked off it made Charles grin slightly.

_**Emily's POV (First Person)**_

I let out a sigh as I slowly picked back up the receiver from the middle of the seat between myself and Dmitri. The others were still asleep so I didn't dare wake them, they needed to be rested up, sadly I couldn't say the same for myself. I was better to kill shamelessly when I was tired ; it made most emotion leave from my very being. Lifting up the speaker again I would press the button, "We're survivors from Missouri! Is there anybody out there?" I tried again, and now heard static from the other end. "Hello, we're a group from Oregon, a group of survivors." This voice sounded so familiar to me, it brought butterflies in my stomach. "Who... is this?" They finally spoke to me and I answered fairly easily, "Emily... and I have four others with me." The other end went silent and it made my eyebrows knit together in concern. "Hello?" I spoke and it seemed that the other end started up again, "Emilia..." This made my eyes fly open, taken back in disbelief. "Charlie..?" I whispered and there seemed to be a moment of relief, we were both okay.

The others seemed to have been awake now, great just in time to tease me. Charlie and I seemed to have been taking up the line for the most part. But we had to get off of it sooner or later and I let out as mall sigh, "Charlie...I love you." I spoke softly, a small blush seeming to twinge against my cheeks. I heard a small chuckle from the other end which made me shiver in the slightest only to then hear him speak back, "I love you too, Emilia." My blush deepened in shade but our moment was ruined. Suddenly we all let out shouts into the speaker and our car flipped over, doing a few twists and turns; a fire erupting from the stirred engine. It was then that my finger left from the receiver, the shouts of my name disappearing as I slowly lost consciousness.

It felt lke my head had been cut open by a rusty switch blade; it was throbbing harshly more so than I had ever experienced before. Slowly my eyes fluttered open, my vision blurred but I heard gunshots in the distances. I was currently hung upside down, quite literally and unbuckled myself from the carseat and my head hit against the roof of the car; which was rather down than up due to the vehicle being upside down. "Ow..." Lifting my hands I would rub at the spot hit and crawl out of the car, tugging my gun along with me. The radio seemed to have been gone and I saw Stephanie having it in the bag. I noticed my teammates firing away at zombies who must have flipped the car over; I wasn't paying attention as best I should have been I guess.

Pushing myself over I would lift my gun and start firing, but my vision was still blurred so I wasn't exactly aiming very well. Instead of hitting them in the head I was hitting their shoulders and arms. This made all of us back up against each other and fire in different directions as we were slowly being surrounded by the zombies who were walking straight at us. Thankfully my vision came back to me and I was hitting in their heads once more. But there were too many, it seemed like an endless army almost like that time on the highway. This made me wince inwardly at the thought but pushed it aside. I wouldn't let any of these people die; they were all important to me.

"Shit, I'm out of ammo... Steph, toss me some." Dmitri called and she did as such and he reloaded and in that time that's when my mother and sister too ran out of ammo. The zombies grew smart at that point with their ceased fires and raced straight for them as everyone tried to reload in time. The sounds of screams now caught my ears and my head turned behind me, two familiar bodies hitting the ground which made a scream emit from my throat. My mother and sister had been bitten and were practically being eaten alive. "NO!" I continued to scream and raced over, but Dmitri grabbed onto me and dragged me away while Stephanie followed us. All the zombies were focused on my family ; all ganging up to feed upon them with glee.

A hand was slapped over my mouth and I was dragged away into the distance.

_God... help us._

It felt like a hole had been ripped open into my chest; no better yet it felt like my heart was being squeezed to death, I was suffocating. "Emily," there was silence after that as I stared off to the side, a hand cupping my cheek while my other arm laid across the counter top beneath of me. We had managed to find an old diner and stepped inside for food considering we hadn't eaten in about a week. My gaze was emotionless and it automatically made them not talk to me as they ate in silence. But I couldn't stomach the food, it was all still too much, and to make matters worse the radio had been ruined in the wreck. Charlie probably thought I was dead and who knows what he's probably done because of it.

My arm gave a twitch and a tug and I lifted up my shirt slightly to stare down at the wound that had stopped bleeding. My flesh around there was still a deep pinkish red, like it was still infected; the virus must be working slowly on me. The sooner I got my two friends to safety the better, their lives were more important to me than my own. Moving my shirt back down it made Dmitri's eyes shift away from me after seeing the mark I had been branded with, it even made him feel a bit uneasy I'm sure. "You sure you aren't hungry?" I heard Stephanie speak up and I turned to face them, offering a faint smile. "No. There were only two boxes left anyways, you two fill up." I pushed myself up to stand and walked outside, the bell on the door softly ringing as I did so.

I walked out into the winter wonderland, snow was falling all around us, but it wasn't even considered to be winter time. The seasons were messed up, everything was out of order. It was strange to think that human lives on the planet could effect so much to the world around us. My eyes stared ahead as both hands fell onto my arms; hugging myself for warmth. The bell chimed again and the two walked up from behind, moving to either side of me. "We need to find a car, it's going to be more difficult traveling in this weather..." Dmitri muttered through chattering teeth and Stephanie nodded, "We should reach Oregon in about five more days..." This made me sigh and ring a hand up through my own hair, we still had decided to go to Oregon it at least gave us a destination; something to work for. It kept us going.

_Ring Ring..._

_Ring..._

All of our eyes shot over towards the payphone just off to the side, making me frown deeply. "Let's go, before the sound attracts them." I spoke and started to walk and they followed from behind. The phone continued to ring and I let out a frustrated groan and lifted it off of the receiver, "Hello?" The other end was silent at first and suddenly a deep voice came from the other end. "You require help... you're going in the wrong direction..." My eyebrow raised as he spoke, "No, we already have a destination." I hung up the phone and walked off which made the phone ring once more and I lifted it, "What?" The man laughed from the other end, "You're going the wrong way. Don't make me send them after you." This made me laugh now, "You think you can control the zombies?" There was silence again at first before he spoke again, "No, but I can send them there."

I hung up again and walked off the others following with me. The sound of wind moving was heard next and we all stared up at helicopters hovering over us. We all took a few steps back and Stephanie seemed to have been trying to signal for them; but they didn't budge. Suddenly a few men dropped down from the chopters and grabbed onto Stephanie and Dmitri while I stayed back. They seemed to be Military Personnel. Finally I was grabbed and we were all set aboard the helicopters.

After traveling a bit of a ways we arrived at a Military base, it was a large building set along an open field with guards standing ready to shoot down zombies trying to penetrated their strong hold. Walking down along the field we noticed the men standing ready for us and I let Dmitri and Stephanie go on ahead and they were checked for bites. Finally they noticed how far ways off I was and turned to face me, worry on their faces. "Emily, come on!" Stephanie called and I simply shook my head, "I can't." Lifting up my shirt I shouted the infection and guns were pointetd straight at me. This made Dmitri grasp onto a gun from the man beside him, "If she was going to turn she would have done so already!" The man yanked away, "it is a risk we cannot take." I nodded and walked away, "What makes you think we'll let you go!" They opened fire and suddenly warmth over took me, blood spilling from my body and I dropped down to my knees. But fire still continued; it must have been Dmitri and Stephanie this time.

Staring down I noticed bullet holes in my shoulder and a graze against my neck, blood seeping out of the wounds and through my clothes. Running footsteps came closer and I was lifted up and carried onto Dmitri's back as he and Stephanie ran, the men behind us still firing but not giving chase due to the chance of running into a hoard of zombies. A clearing was found and I was set up against the nearby tree, letting out a groan as clothes were pressed up against my wounds and tied there to stop the bleeding. "What are you, stupid? Why did you try and leave us there?" I stared up at Dmitri who looked more hurt than angry. "For your own safety." Stephanie shook her head now, "We're not leaving without you. Don't think otherwise." I sighed in defeat and closed my eyes, a smile sticking to my face, "You two... sure are stubborn." And I heard chuckles admitting from them both.

We were on the move again and finally had found a car to steal. Our destination stayed the same; we may have been further off from Oregon now but it didn't stop us from trying to get there. This time we were sure not to be taken off guard by zombies overthrowing us. Dmitri sat in the seat beside me, tinkering with the radio and trying to get it to work again. Stephanie was in the backseat, counting up the ammo and weapons we had left; sooner or later we would have to switch to melee weapons for close combat.

"Emily...what is THAT?"

This made me blink and slowly shift the mirror to gaze behind me, only for my eyes to widen. A large creature was chasing after us on their feet, arms swinging around aimlessly. Minor zombies were following it and loud screeches were heard, making me curse just under my breath. "I don't know...ah!" The car was rammed into and we all let out shouts, nearly losing control of the vehicle. Dmitri opened his window nad hung out from it slightly and opened fire, trying to slow it down. It was then that I realized what it was and cursed, "It's a tank." Dmitri hissed and kept firing while Stephanie turned around in her seat and watch. I continued to drive, trying to lose it, out running it was usually best if you didn't feel like you could defeat it.

Suddenly Dmitri's gun left from his hands, a long red tongue curling about it and yanking it away. This made him curse and get back inside the car fully and roll up his window quickly. "Dammit!" Dmtri called and reached into the bag for anything else and found a grenade and bit the top off, quickly rolling down the window and tossing it back behind us. I cursed and sped up and then there was a loud explosion, making the car fling forward but we managed to not roll over this time. Now staring back behind us it almost didn't surprise us to see that the chase hadn't ended.

That previous tongue shot forward again and grasped onto one of the wheels of the car and we all let out a scream as we flipped over again, and then there was a smash as the Tank crashed right into us. The glass broke and splattered into our faces, and we all screamed in pain and then everything went still and silent. After that there was nothing but then the car was lifted up into the air and we just couldn't shout anymore. Staring through the window was the Tank and he seemed to be trying to smash his way through to us. Pulling out a katana from the bag of weapons I lunged forward, out of the car's broken front window and let the blade stab right through its eye. It let out a screech of pain and we both fell over together as the car fell right side up again, Dmitri and Stephanie leaning forward to see what had happened to us.

All that was heard were my screams and Dmitri and Stephanie rushed up with the last ammo and guns, firing away at the Tank which was laying its foot directly on top of my body as I laid on the ground. The minor zombies were inching closer, trying to eat me but the bullets were knocking them away. Finally the Tank went falling after what felt like hours of firing at it and I rolled out from underneath, whimpering and grasping onto my ribs which felt like they were broken. I was lifted up onto Dmitri's shoulder and led back into the car, resting in the backseat this time while Stephanie and Dmitri took the front. I laid on my back, head fallen to the side with gritted teeth, a blood puddle almost starting to form within the backseat itself.

"We're almost there to Oregon, hang on, Mimi." I let a faint smile appear over my lips and my eyes fell down to a close and this made Stephanie lean back toward me, "No! Stay awake, you hear me...?" I let out a soft sound and my eyes don't budge, I can't open them, I felt way too weak at that point.

"Look, we're there. I think I see their base." With a thunderous sound another Tank started to give chase along with other special infected and all seemed lost. Dmitri grabbed onto the radio, in hopes that it worked. "Oregon Base, this is the Missouri survivors. We're at your base but require immediate help. I repeat, immediate help!" I heard his voice echoing and suddenly I just couldn't stay conscious anymore and lost it right there.

_**Normal POV **_

Alexander shook his head and opened the gates, "Let's move." With that everyone ran out with their guns and saw the car nearing and they stood at the border from their city. "Sir?" "Not yet, they aren't in Oregon yet.~ It's not our problem until then." Finally growing annoyed Charlie and his gun smacked right upside the man's head, knocking him out. "All units, fire!" Charlie called and all fire were aimed toward the Tank and zombies and the car soon screeched to a stop off to the side right near the others. Charlie and a few other men ran over and helped them out, but Charlie was the one to lift Emily up into his arms and stare down at her. "Thank God you're alive..." He whispered and leaned down to press his lips against her forehead. "Sir, go on ahead inside we'll hold them off!" Charles nodded toward the man who had shouted this and ran inside along with Dmitri and Stephanie who were to be treated for their wounds. Now noticing that they were out of harms way that was ironically when Alexander stood back up, a frown on his lips.

"All units, retreat."

The men continued to fire but were inching back into their base, unable to kill all of the zombies that had been chasing after them. The doors slammed shut after everyone made it back inside alive. Alexander walked over toward where Charlie and Emily lay and frowned down at them, "let me see her." Leaning down he searched her body for just about anything and finally lifted up her shirt slightly, noticing the bite mark set into place. "She's infected, send her out of here." Charlie shook his head and the other men seemed to have been frowning. "Throw her out of here, I said."

Charles now stood up, carrying Emily in his arms still, "We're not throwing her out, Alexander." Dmitri now stepped up, "She's been infected for about a month now, she would have changed already but she hasn't." Alexander smirked once more, "Can't take the risk." Suddenly Alexander was knocked out by a punch by both males; Charles and Dmitri. They threw Alex outside with the zombies instead; who started to feed on his body.

It was now that blue eyes started to flutter open, "Charlie..." Emily let out as she stared up towards the man above her and he let a smile appear over his lips and lean down to press them back to her forehead once more. "Mm, we're really here... I'm glad..." Lifting Emily up into his arms again he would face the others, "Let's all head to bed now, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." Everyone nodded in agreement and found their beds while Charlie brought Emily into his own room, laying her down upon the bed before following, simply holding her close throughout the night.

_Even in the worse circumstances of them all, in a Dark Hellish void like this; perhaps there is still some light somewhere..._

**TBC.**


End file.
